books.google.com - The consulate was the focal point of Roman politics. Both the ruling class and the ordinary citizens fixed their gaze on the republic's highest office - to be sure, from different perspectives and with differing expectations. While the former aspired to the consulate as the defining magistracy of their...https://books.google.com/books/about/Consuls_and_Res_Publica.html?id=qhC_GqPDcjUC&utm_source=gb-gplus-shareConsuls and Res Publica

Consuls and Res Publica: Holding High Office in the Roman Republic

The consulate was the focal point of Roman politics. Both the ruling class and the ordinary citizens fixed their gaze on the republic's highest office - to be sure, from different perspectives and with differing expectations. While the former aspired to the consulate as the defining magistracy of their social status, the latter perceived it as the embodiment of the Roman state. Holding high office was thus not merely a political exercise. The consulate prefigured all aspects of public life, with consuls taking care of almost every aspect of the administration of the Roman state. This multifaceted character of the consulate invites a holistic investigation. The scope of this book is therefore not limited to political or constitutional questions. Instead, it investigates the predominant role of the consulate in and its impact on, the political culture of the Roman republic.

About the author (2011)

Hans Beck is John MacNaughton Chair of Classics in the Department of History and Classical Studies at McGill University. His publications include Central Greece and the Politics of Power in the Fourth Century BC (2008) with John Buckler.

Antonio DuplŠ is Associate Professor in the Department of Classical Studies at the University of the Basque Country in Vitoria-Gasteiz, where he teaches ancient history and classical reception.

Martin Jehne is Professor of Ancient History and Director of the Department of History at the Technical University of Dresden.

Francisco Pina Polo is Professor of Ancient History at the University of Zaragoza. His publications include The Consul at Rome: The Civil Functions of the Consuls in the Roman Republic (2011).